Xeranthemum annumm

Scientific description

Phylum: Angiospermatophyta (Magnoliophyta)
Class: Dicotyledonatae (Magnoliatae)
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Asterales (Compositales)
Family: Asteraceae (Compositae)
Common name: Everlasting Flower, Immortelle, Strawflowers
Origin: Southeastern Europe, pontic-Mediterranean.

Description:
Annual herbaceous, thermophilic, light-loving plant with well-developed root system, height up to 60 cm. Stem erect, simple or branched, covered with small hairs. Leaves elongated, gray-silver, fluffy. Flowers white, pink, red, or lilac, with persistent bracts or entire inflorescence. Blooms June–September.

Propagation: Seeds.

Ecology: Common from plains to hills, in meadows, shrubs, and slopes. Prefers sunny, dry areas, medium, well-drained soils.

Uses: Ornamental, horticultural importance, landscaping yards and gardens. Widely used as cut flowers due to color and flower resistance, for flower arrangements, wreaths, and in combination with other horticultural species.

Threats: Symbol of eternity and immortality. Disappeared in some areas due to intensive grazing and conversion of pastures/meadows into agricultural land.

Creative writing inspired by Xeranthemum annumm

Written by Andrei Gabriela Larisa

Forever in Bloom

Once upon a time there was a lonely, selfish queen living all alone in her castle. As beautiful as the sun is when it touches the sea, that is how beautiful the Queen was. One day, the Queen saw the loneliness surrounding her and decided that the beauty of nature was not enough for her to rule over. Then and there she packed a bag and went on her way to find something bigger to rule.

The woods all around the castle dared to challenge the depth of the ocean, so the journey will be long since she does not know who or what might live there. While being watched from a distance, the Queen picked some purple flowers. Small yet full of petals. Every purple flower she picked started to bloom more and more in her arms. Three days and three nights pass by and the Queen still has not left the lands of her kingdom, when she was approached by a mysterious tall woman.

-What are you doing with all these flowers? Asks the woman.
-None of your business, replies the Queen.
-Did you know that every flower you picked belongs to me? Says the ghost-like woman.
And as selfish as she is, the Queen replies:
-Well, they are mine and I shall take them to the grave with me if I want to!

The mysterious woman laughed and disappeared into the night of the woods. The Queen picked more and more flowers, a bouquet bigger than what she could carry. A bouquet full of life, full of color and full of bliss, or not. The mysterious woman, tall and now weak, was an ancient witch who was cursed to care for every little purple flower that grew on the Queen's lands. But when the Queen started to pick more and more, the witch realized her life was tied to the flowers, the more the Queen picked, the less power the witch had.

Another three days and three nights pass by and the Queen meets the witch again, the witch now floats in the air, not being able to walk on her own feet, talks to the Queen: The flowers you pick, they represent my power, my life, you are killing me slowly… And? I don't want you as my servant anyway, die if you must, I love these little flowers, they make me feel young again. The witch then decided to curse her curse to the Queen, so she could die in peace.

The Sun, the Moon and Mother Nature are my witnesses as I pass forward my spell, YOU selfish queen will now care for the flowers and live forever. Happy lonely eternity! Those were the witch's last words before she vanished leaving the Queen with the curse of Immortal Life in exchange for caring for the little purple flowers.

Veșnic în Floare

A fost odată ca niciodată o regină singuratică și egoistă care trăia singură în castelul ei. La fel de frumoasă cum este soarele când atinge marea, atât de frumoasă era regina. Într-o zi, regina a văzut singurătatea care o înconjura și a decis că frumusețea naturii nu era suficientă pentru ca ea să domnească. Atunci și acolo și-a făcut bagajul și a plecat în căutarea a ceva mai mare pentru a domni.

Pădurile din jurul castelului îndrăzneau să sfideze adâncimea oceanului, așa că drumul va fi lung, deoarece ea nu știe cine sau ce ar putea trăi acolo. În timp ce era privită de la distanță, regina a cules câteva flori mov. Mici, dar pline de petale. Fiecare floare purpurie pe care o culegea începea să înflorească din ce în ce mai mult în brațele ei. Trei zile și trei nopți trecură și regina încă nu părăsise ținuturile regatului ei, când fu abordată de o femeie înaltă și misterioasă.

-Ce faci cu toate aceste flori? întrebă femeia.
-Nu e treaba ta, răspunde regina.
-Știai că fiecare floare pe care ai cules-o îmi aparține? Spune femeia asemănătoare unei fantome.
Și la fel de egoistă cum este, răspunde regina:
-Bine, sunt ale mele și le voi lua cu mine în mormânt dacă vreau!

Femeia misterioasă a râs și a dispărut în noaptea pădurii. Regina a cules tot mai multe flori, un buchet mai mare decât putea duce. Un buchet plin de viață, plin de culoare și plin de fericire, sau nu. Femeia misterioasă, înaltă și acum slabă, era o vrăjitoare străveche care fusese blestemată să aibă grijă de fiecare floare mică și purpurie care creștea pe pământurile reginei. Dar când regina a început să culeagă din ce în ce mai mult, vrăjitoarea și-a dat seama că viața ei era legată de flori, cu cât regina culegea mai mult, cu atât mai puțină putere avea vrăjitoarea.

Trec alte trei zile și trei nopți și regina o întâlnește din nou pe vrăjitoare, vrăjitoarea acum plutește în aer, neputând să meargă pe propriile picioare, vorbește cu regina: Florile pe care le culegi reprezintă puterea mea, viața mea, mă omori încet… Și? Oricum nu te vreau ca servitoare a mea, mori dacă trebuie, eu iubesc aceste floricele, mă fac să mă simt din nou tânără. Vrăjitoarea s-a hotărât apoi să îi blesteme blestemul reginei, ca să poată muri în pace.

Soarele, Luna și Mama Natură sunt martorii mei în timp ce transmit mai departe vraja mea, TU regină egoistă vei avea acum grijă de flori și vei trăi veșnic. Veșnicie fericită și singuratică! Acestea au fost ultimele cuvinte ale vrăjitoarei înainte de a dispărea, lăsând-o pe regină cu blestemul Vieții Nemuritoare în schimbul îngrijirii micilor flori mov.

Για πάντα ανθισμένο

Μια φορά κι έναν καιρό, ήταν μια μοναχική, εγωίστρια βασίλισσα που ζούσε ολομόναχη στο κάστρο της. Όσο όμορφος είναι ο ήλιος όταν αγγίζει τη θάλασσα, τόσο όμορφη ήταν και η ίδια η Βασίλισσα. Μια μέρα, η Βασίλισσα είδε τη μοναξιά που την περιέβαλλε και αποφάσισε ότι η ομορφιά της φύσης γύρω της δεν ήταν αρκετή. Τότε ετοίμασε μια βαλίτσα και ξεκίνησε το ταξίδι της για να βρει κάτι μεγαλύτερο να κυβερνήσει.

Τα δάση γύρω από το κάστρο ήταν βαθύτερα και από τον ωκεανό, οπότε το ταξίδι θα ήταν μακρύ, αφού δεν ξέρει ποιος ή τι μπορεί να ζει εκεί. Ενώ την παρακολουθούσαν από μακριά, η Βασίλισσα έκοψε μερικά μωβ λουλούδια. Μικρά αλλά γεμάτα πέταλα. Κάθε μωβ λουλούδι που έκοψε άρχισε να ανθίζει όλο και περισσότερο στην αγκαλιά της. Τρεις μέρες και τρεις νύχτες περνούν και η Βασίλισσα δεν έχει ακόμη φύγει από τα εδάφη του βασιλείου της, όταν την πλησίασε μια μυστηριώδης ψηλή γυναίκα.

- Τι κάνεις με όλα αυτά τα λουλούδια; ρωτάει η γυναίκα.
- Δεν σε αφορά, απαντά η Βασίλισσα.
- Ήξερες ότι κάθε λουλούδι που μάζεψες μου ανήκει; λέει η γυναίκα που μοιάζει με φάντασμα.
Και όσο εγωίστρια κι αν είναι, η Βασίλισσα απαντά:
- Λοιπόν, είναι δικά μου και θα τα πάρω μαζί μου στον τάφο αν θέλω!

Η μυστηριώδης γυναίκα γέλασε και εξαφανίστηκε στη νύχτα του δάσους. Η Βασίλισσα έκοψε όλο και περισσότερα λουλούδια, ένα μπουκέτο μεγαλύτερο από όσο μπορούσε να κουβαλήσει. Ένα μπουκέτο γεμάτο ζωή, χρώμα και ευδαιμονία. Η μυστηριώδης γυναίκα, ψηλή και πλέον αδύναμη, ήταν μια αρχαία μάγισσα που είχε καταραστεί να φροντίζει κάθε μικρό μωβ λουλούδι που φύτρωνε στα εδάφη της Βασίλισσας. Αλλά όταν η Βασίλισσα άρχισε να μαζεύει όλο και περισσότερο, η μάγισσα συνειδητοποίησε ότι η ζωή της ήταν δεμένη με τα λουλούδια, όσο περισσότερο μάζευε η Βασίλισσα, τόσο λιγότερη δύναμη είχε.

Περνούν άλλες τρεις μέρες και τρεις νύχτες και η Βασίλισσα συναντά ξανά τη μάγισσα, η οποία τώρα αιωρείται στον αέρα, μη μπορώντας να περπατήσει. Μιλάει στη Βασίλισσα: Τα λουλούδια που μαζεύεις αντιπροσωπεύουν τη δύναμή μου, τη ζωή μου, με σκοτώνεις αργά… Και; Δεν σε θέλω υπηρέτριά μου, πέθανε αν χρειαστεί, αγαπώ αυτά τα μικρά λουλούδια, με κάνουν να νιώθω ξανά νέα. Η μάγισσα αποφάσισε τότε να καταραστεί τη Βασίλισσα, ώστε να πεθάνει σε ειρήνη.

Ο Ήλιος, η Σελήνη και η Μητέρα Φύση είναι μάρτυρές μου καθώς μεταφέρω το ξόρκι μου. Εσύ, εγωίστρια βασίλισσα, θα φροντίζεις τώρα τα λουλούδια και θα ζεις για πάντα. Ευτυχισμένη μοναχική αιωνιότητα! Αυτά ήταν τα τελευταία λόγια της μάγισσας πριν εξαφανιστεί, αφήνοντάς τη Βασίλισσα με την κατάρα της Αθάνατης Ζωής σε αντάλλαγμα για τη φροντίδα των μικρών μωβ λουλουδιών.

Fleur Immortelle (Xeranthemum annumm)

Il était une fois une reine solitaire et égoïste, vivant seule dans son château isolé. Aussi magnifique que le soleil effleurant la mer, telle était la beauté de la Reine. Un jour, elle prit conscience de sa solitude et se rendit compte que la splendeur de la nature ne lui suffisait plus. Alors, elle rassembla ses affaires et se mit en route à la recherche d’un royaume plus vaste à gouverner.

Les bois qui entouraient son château rivalisaient avec la profondeur de l’océan, et son périple s’annonçait long et périlleux, car elle ignorait qui ou quoi pouvait bien vivre dans ces sombres forêts. Tandis que des yeux invisibles l’observaient à distance, la Reine cueillit quelques fleurs violettes. De petites fleurs aux innombrables pétales. À chaque fleur qu’elle prenait, celle-ci s’épanouissait davantage dans ses bras. Trois jours et trois nuits s’écoulèrent, et la Reine n’avait toujours pas quitté les terres de son royaume, lorsqu’elle fut abordée par une femme mystérieuse et élancée.

— Que fais-tu avec toutes ces fleurs ? demanda la femme.
— Cela ne te regarde pas, répondit sèchement la Reine.
— Sais-tu que chaque fleur que tu cueilles m’appartient ? ajouta la femme à l’apparence spectrale.
La Reine répliqua : — Eh bien, elles sont à moi à présent, et si je le souhaite, je les emporterai avec moi dans la tombe !

La femme mystérieuse éclata de rire, puis disparut dans les ténèbres de la forêt. La Reine continua à cueillir de plus en plus de fleurs, un bouquet si grand qu’elle peinait à le porter. Un bouquet plein de vie, de couleurs et de bonheur… ou peut-être pas. La femme énigmatique, autrefois majestueuse et désormais affaiblie, était une sorcière ancestrale, condamnée à veiller sur chaque petite fleur violette poussant sur les terres de la Reine.

Mais au fur et à mesure que la Reine cueillait les fleurs, la sorcière comprit que sa propre vie était liée à elles. Plus la Reine en prenait, plus la sorcière perdait de son pouvoir. Trois jours et trois nuits supplémentaires passèrent, et la Reine rencontra de nouveau la sorcière, qui flottait désormais dans les airs, incapable de marcher.

Elle lui parla d’une voix faible : — Les fleurs que tu cueilles… elles représentent ma force, ma vie… Tu es en train de me tuer lentement…
La Reine, insensible, rétorqua : — Et alors ? Je ne veux pas de toi comme servante de toute façon. Meurs si tu le dois ! J’adore ces petites fleurs, elles me rendent jeune à nouveau.

Alors, dans un dernier acte de vengeance, la sorcière transmit sa propre malédiction à la Reine, afin de pouvoir mourir en paix. Sous le regard du Soleil, de la Lune et de Mère Nature, elle prononça : — TOI, Reine égoïste, désormais, tu prendras soin de ces fleurs pour l’éternité ! Je te condamne à une vie immortelle… Une solitude infinie !

Ce furent les derniers mots de la sorcière, avant qu’elle ne disparaisse, laissant la Reine face à son destin—maudite d’une immortalité douloureuse, en échange de la garde des petites fleurs violettes.

3D Interactive View

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Xeranthemum annumm

Scientific description

Creative writing inspired by Xeranthemum annumm

3D Interactive View

Authentic Specimen

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